


Atropa Belladonna

by seerofheart



Category: Homestuck
Genre: Fluff, Hospitals, Humanstuck, It gets better I swear, Its kind of fluffy I guess, Karkat is sick or something, Like I know, M/M, Shippy, This is going somewhere, i don't know yet
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2013-05-02
Updated: 2015-04-16
Packaged: 2017-12-10 05:50:39
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 3,030
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/782531
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/seerofheart/pseuds/seerofheart
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>You met him in a hospital.<br/>He had a temper, to go with his fiery red hair and auburn eyes.<br/>He was your Atropa Belladonna; your nightshade -<br/>Beautiful but deadly.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

This is stupid.

You do not belong in a hospital. It was just a slash. You had just been practicing with Bro. It wasn't anything major.

But here you are. Sitting in a white donned room with cruddy, stiff beds and a curtain down the middle. Just like in those stupid sitcoms, there's a little television in the corner, broadcasting news about god knows what. And you really, really, hate it. You've always hated hospitals. Cheeky nurses and monotonous doctors giving a lecture about something you could care less about.

Something you do care about, though, is whoever is behind that curtain. You know someone is there, because every once in a while a nurse comes trodding in from nowhere and drops behind the curtain, performing whatever and strolling out again. 

There's never another sound from the other side. You're beginning to get curious. Why wouldn't you? It's always silent. Eerie silent, not just weird silent. 

You give into your curiosity and pull back the curtian. You're guesses were right; there is a guy back there. He's sleeping, though. You take in his small form, looking up and down the hospital bed, wondering what happened to him.  
His head is covered in a mop of tangled red hair, face freckled but sunken in with wear. Dark bags hang beneath his eyes, tainting his pale skin. He's small, too skinny for his body, and what should be a peaceful, resting expression is contorted with worry and anger.

You curse to yourself, regretting pulling back the curtain. This kid is far worse than you, and certainly isn't getting better anytime soon. You wonder if he hates the hospital too, because then he'd be screwed. Even more screwed than you are.

You barely realize he's woken up until he speaks to you.

"What are you even doing?" he asks, and you get to see a pair of auburn eyes tinted with a dark, peircing red. Like coating red nails in brown crackling nailpolish, like whatever Jade and Rose do to get their nails all fancied up.

"Just seeing who I'm stuck with. 'S a little boring here, y'know?" you drawl out an excuse, letting go of the curtain.

"I would know. Try being stuck in here for eight months, asswipe." he hisses back, training his eyes across your face. God, this kid has a stare like death. Probably because he's looked death straight in the eyes himself. The grim reaper probably bolted at that stare. You contemplate a response for his words.

"Wait, what?" are the only words you can find, trying to put together what could've happened to this guy.

"Did I stutter?" he growls, looking away, "Eight. Months. Now close the curtain before I shove it down your throat." 

At his comment you raise your hands in a lazy surrender, before closing the curtain. You suddenly realize something, and pull it open to stick your head through.

"Didn't I say to go away?" he says.

"Yeah, but I didn't catch your name, kitten." you say, smirking. He scowls.

"I didn't throw it, you insufferable prick." he returns, venom in his voice.

"C'mon then, cupcake. I'm waiting." you tease, smirk growing slightly.

"Fine. But only so you'll stop with the idiotic petnames," he sighs, "Karkat Vantas. And no, I don't beep or meow, neither does it have anything to do with cats in the first place." he says, like a routine explanation. You wonder how many people he's said that to  
.  
"Cool," you reply, "'M Dave. Dave Strider." you say, nodding your head.

"Whatever. Close the curtain now, will you? I was trying to sleep, if you hadn't noticed." he complains, staring you down again.

"Alright," you reply, "Catch you later, Karkitten." you slide the curtain shut as he growls, and decide to get some sleep yourself.

You drift off to the sound of your conversion with Karkat on playback in your head.

 

When you wake, Bro and a doctor are standing in the doorway. They seem to be talking about something having to do with you, and about your stitches. Seriously, you've gotten worse than what you have now, but the doctor said something about Texan heat having something to do with the seriousness. Not that you were listening.

The room is quiet again, except the quiet breathing behind the curtain, which you never noticed before. The breaths are strangled, and you can tell he isn't one for sleeping.

Before you can continue, Bro waltzes ino the room and looks down at you.

"Time to ditch this place, lil' man." he drawls, and you nod, pulling off the cream sheets and standing up. When you make your way to the door, you glance at Karkat, who looks at you, then away at the wall. 

"Adios, Karkitty." you nod your head in goodbye, and he huffs something incoherent in return.

You think, maybe, you might miss him when you get back.


	2. Chapter 2

The ride home is quiet. You mostly stare out of the window at passing cars, lights, and signs. A couple of times, Bro asks about how you feel, tells you what the doctors said, blah blah blah. 

You mostly think about Karkat. What could be up with him? It couldn't be anything normal. . .or could it? You wouldn't know. Maybe you could visit him. He wouldn't be especially happy to see you, but it might be worth a try.

You decide against it. You have work to do, first. Most of it is just answering friends, confirming you are alright, yes you are going to be in class. Next is actual homework, which takes longer than it should. Whatever. You'll go next weekend.

 

The week dragging by is hell. Melancholy teachers, a scolding now and then, generic, easy work. All you want to do is visit the hospital, and your eyes are constantly on the clock, begging the day to be over.

And on Friday, when the bell rings, you thank a deity you don't believe in and, backpack slung over your shoulder, trudge to your least favourite place in the world, but a place you are so anxtious to visit - the hospital.

You walk in, the mere sight of the lobby making you shiver. The cream walls, worn, light blue chairs, and the overpowering smell of rubbing alcohol grace the room. The receptionist sees you and smiles, pushing up her pink glasses.

"What can I do for you?" she asks kindly.

"'M here to see Karkat Vantas," you drawl in return, and she quirks an eyebrow, pursing her glossed magenta lips.

"Are you family?" she inquires.

"Nah. Just a friend." you reply, shrugging lightly. She bites her lip, tapping her pen.

"Hm. . ." she looks you over, "I guess you can head up." she smiles once more. "He's in room 413." 

You nod, noting he has changed rooms. You make your way to the stairwell, and from there to the room. You then understand why the woman was hesitant on sending you up. Taped over where the room number should be, is a peice of lined paper stained with what looks like coffee. . .or tea, maybe.

It reads: "ROOM 413. GO AWAY." Well. The message is messily scrawled in a black sharpie, and it just makes this horrible place just that much more inviting.

You sigh, knocking on the door lazily. You hear shuffling, a cough, and then silence.

"What do you want?" a voice calls, finally.

"Here to visit," you reply nonchalantly. You hear a scoff.

"Can't you read, or are my only 'friends' illiterate idiots?" he growls.

"Aww, c'mon Karkitty, I know you're itching to see me," you reply snarkily.

"What did you just call me?" he asks in a hiss.

"Karkitty? Karkitten? Karkalicious? Beep Beep Meow -" you list, smirking at the closed door. Before you can finish, the door swings open, nearly hitting you in the face.

"Shut up and get in here already." Karkat orders, and you nod, following him inside. The thought again comes to mind of what could be wrong with the boy - he seems small when sitting, but when standing you can see the way his skin is stretched across his bones, pale and bruised.

He sits back down on the hospital bed with a sigh, then frowns at you. You lean against the wall, looking at him.

"So, why did you come here, of all the places you could drag your lazy ass?" he asks bitterly, staring you down with that familiar, yet somehow calming, death glare.

"Can't I spend my time visiting my dear, dear friend? I'm hurt, Karkitten," you melodramatically cry, pressing a hand to your chest in fake hurt. Karkat rolls his eyes.

"Just get on with it, then," he says, scowling.

"Get on with what?" you question, quirking an eyebrow above your aviators.

"The agonizing, personal questions, the stupid sympathy and the, 'Oh, Karkat, that's terrible, but you'll get through this' every five minutes? Trust me, I know you're here because you feel bad, but I'll tell you now: I don't need your sympathy. So get on with it and get out." his words are harsh, and you can tell his visitors are probably like John - all sympathetic and doting. You would hate that too, you know.

"Look, bro," you frown, "I'm not here to dote on you or ask you questions and shit, I'm just here to annoy the asshole I met from behind a hospital curtain." you throw your bag down into the chair beside you, straightening yourself up. Karkat blinks a few times, surprised, and you swear for a second he smiles.

"You may not be as much of an ass as I thought." he states, auburn eyes softening from their glare. You walk over to him, sitting beside the boy. You smirk, ruffling his dark red hair.

"You too, Karkitten."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I decided to write another chapter - I don't really know where this is going, but I have all the sickness crap plotted out nicely. XD
> 
> Comments and critique appreciated. c:


	3. Chapter 3

As time passed, your visits to Karkat became more frequent. The nurses knew you by name, and the receptionist only needed to take one look at you and nod to send you up.

Despite this, you are yet to find out why he's stuck in the hospital. You don't want to pry, but you can't help but be curious. Luckily, you've kept your mouth shut all this time.

You currently sit in the lobby. Some days, like these ones, Karkat has something 'important' to do in the morning, and you have to wait a couple hours to be let in. This, to your displeasure, seems to spark an idea for conversation from the receptionist. Today, however, the times flies past quickly and the receptionist, Feferi, sends you up.

The door is graced with the familiar sign, and you smile, only barely, then maintain your facade once more and open the door.

Karkat is sitting up awkwardly in his bed, coughing weakly into his arm. After he finishes hacking up his lungs, he looks at you, expectingly.

"'Sup?" you throw your bag down on a chair, taking your normal seat beside him on his bed. 

"Oh, the usual. Sitting here coughing up my lungs day in and day out," he rolls his glassy eyes, "You?"

"Throwing sick rhymes, y'know, being the coolest kid in existance." you smirk at him, and he bats your shoulder weakly.

"Yeah right." he scoffs.

"Oh, Karkat, you've broken the poor princess' feelings!" you exclaim dramatically, throwing your hand to your head. He laughs dryly, but it soon morphs into another fit of coughing. You gently rub his back, awkwardly, until the hacking dies down.

"Sorry." you tell him, frowning. He looks at you, sighing.

"It's not your fault," his words come out strained. You avert your eyes, and the room becomes silent. You don't dare glance back over, but you can't help but want to. He is your best friend, after all. After a while, he speaks up.

". . .Do you want to know why?" he sounds cautious, like he's been avoiding this for a while, and you know he has been. As much as you wish you could make a snarky comment, you can't bring yourself to.

"Only if you want me to, Karkles." you reply equally as carefully, because having this conversation is like treading on thin ice. He takes a deep breath, nodding.

"It started as a 'cold'," he explains, "but. . .it wouldn't go away. After a while, one of my idiot friends was concerned and decided to send me to the doctor." You nod, muttering a small 'mhm'. 

"It was diagnosed as an FUO." he says, and you quirk an eyebrow. He rolls his eyes. "Fever of unknown origin, as in you don't know where the hell it came from. Anyway, they kept trying to find whatever it was so I could get out of here."

"At first they thought it was Endocarditis, so they put me on that medication." he stops here, for a moment, to check you are still listening.

"Wait, endo what?" you ask.

"Endocarditis, you nookwhiff." he replies harshly.

"And that is. . .?" you trail off.

"A heart disease. But apparently I was misdiagnosed. Luckily the medicine didn't kill me, but it wasn't helping either. So next they called it Tuberculosis." You quirk and eyebrow, opening your mouth to speak, when he sighs, speaking before you.

"TB," he explains, "the lung thing. I don't know how they came from heart disease to lung disease, but apparently they are the proffessionals."

"And that was it?" you inquire.

"No." he continues, "It's actually Sarcoidosis. Which is another fucking lung disease, by the way. It can be spread, but mine is a mutation." he finishes. You nod, looking at your friend. 

"But you'll be okay, right?" the question rushes past your lips before you could deny it.

"I don't know." he looks at you, glassy, auburn eyes reflecting his worry. He, however, could never see your own worries, about him. They are carefully tucked behind your facade.

You sit with him for another hour, until his head lay limp across your shoulder, arm splayed in your lap and ragged, slow breathing the only sound in the room.

Looking at his sleeping, calm face, you frown, and hope with all your heart he'll be alright. Because. . .at this moment. . .you don't know what you'd do without him.


	4. Chapter 4

After a relatively good night of sleep beside Karkat in his hospital bed, you are jolted awake by a loud, ear piercing screech. When you regain your senses, you realise the ungodly noise had come from the boy beside you. 

Your eyes widen behind your shades, and you find your friend sitting upright beside you, hands attached to either side of his head like it will fall off. His knees are drawn in close to him, face contorted in pain and eyes wide and glassy. And he wont stop screaming - its frightening.

You quickly move beside him, placing your hands on either of his shoulders. 

"Karkat?!" you plead, shaking his slender form, "Can you hear me?!" He doesn't react, just keeps screeching and shaking. Tears spill out of his wide eyes and down his cheeks, wetting his clothing.

"Karkat! C'mon!" your grip on him tightens, and you are afraid - so, so afraid.

"DON'T TOUCH ME!" he screams, ripping himself away from you. "IT HURTS! STOP!" he shakes his head rapidly, curling up in a tight ball. 

You feel something salty on your tongue, and realize you're crying. You pull his curled up form next to you, his body quivering and wimpers escaping his open mouth. You pick up the small intercom phone beside you, waiting until the nurse picks up.

You quickly explain, and she tells you that the doctor and herself will be right over.

You hold your friend tight, despite his protests, until the nurse and doctor come bounding in. You are quickly ushered to the side, and you watch as they attempt to the do the same you did, yet less frantically. You feel frozen, and you can't move a muscle as the doctor sticks a thin needle into your friend's arm, injecting a drug you don't want to know the name of.

You watch silently, seeing Karkat's body slow, then fall limply to the bed. The doctor and nurse continue observing for what seems like hours, but they eventually leave.

You sit beside Karkat, feeling empty inside as you lay his motionless hand in yours, drawing circles on his palm.

It is that moment that you realize you care for this boy much more than you imagined.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the long wait! ^.^; 
> 
> Its really short, but the next chapter will be longer, I swear. :)
> 
> Comments appreciated.


	5. NOTICE TO READERS

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Update? It's up to YOU!

Hello, sweethearts!

 

My lord, it's been ages. Regardless, I've long since departed from the "Homestuck Bandwagon", unfortunately. Nonetheless, I still plan to continue this -- in fact, I am in the process of re-writing the entire thing right now. I think I will be reposting, so if you follow this fanfic, then I will link you to the new one. How does that sound? So, if you preferred this style, and don't like the new one, you can continue to view this one, even if it won't be updated. This was, in fact, my most popular work, and if you enjoyed it like this, I don't want you to lose it just because I've grown tired of the writing style.

 

After I fix both this and _Tangerine Birds in My Windowsill_ , I believe I will retire from writing fanfiction entirely, so these would be my last works! At least, I think so, unless I have the sudden inspiration to write them again. I've started pursuing the composition of my own original writing, now. And as much as I adored writing these, they aren't exactly my forte anymore. That being said, I am not sure it will still suit your tastes; it has been years, now, and my writing has changed significantly. I can't promise it will be the same style, but the ideas will still be same, and the plot will be unchanging. It will also be much, much longer.

 

Anyway, before I do any of that, I need your confirmation, readers, if there are any of you left -- **would you like this to be re-written? Would you like if I reposted it, and finished the story for you? If so, please be a dear and let me know!**

 

Much love,

seerofheart


End file.
